Government to review blood money for OFWs on death row

MANILA, Philippines – The government will review its policy on paying blood money for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on death row in the Middle East following the execution of Joselito Zapanta in Saudi Arabia, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also stressed that President Aquino and his administration exhausted all efforts to save Zapanta, including writing appeals to the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to spare the life of the OFW.

Malacañang issued the statement after Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday that Zapanta could have been spared from death had the Aquino administration agreed to his proposal to create a blood money committee.

Binay said he proposed the creation of such committee in 2012 to ensure prompt government action on OFW cases involving payment of blood money, but Malacañang did not act on his proposal. 

Under Shariah law, blood money is the compensation given to the family of a murder victim. Should they accept it, the family will execute an affidavit of forgiveness so that death penalty will not be carried out on the accused.

The Aquino government reportedly failed to come up with the P48-million blood money – later lowered to P45 million – asked by the family of the Sudanese whom Zapanta killed. The administration managed to raise P23 million from the private sector.

Lacierda hit back at Binay for blaming the government for the failure to raise blood money rather than focus on the diplomatic and legal efforts exerted to save Zapanta. – With Helen Flores